Flexible strap wrench with wedge lock



Nov. 22, 1960 A. R. LONG FLEXIBLE STRAP WRENCH WITH WEDGE Loox 2 Sheets-Sl'xeel 1 Filed April 14, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllctF llll liza.

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Nov. 22, 1960 Filed April 14, 1959 .QX 5 1? WN WN United States Patent O FLEXIBLE STRAP WRENCH WITH WEDGE LOCK Arthur R. Long, Kiel, Wis., assignor to Long Industries,

- Inc., Kiel, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Apr. 14, 1959, Ser. No. 806,402

8 Claims. (Cl. 81-64) This invention relates to improvements in wrenches, and more particularly to a strap-wrench adapted to frictionally engage and turn an object without damaging or disfiguring the same.

In removing or tightening various articles such as twist-on jar caps, chrome plumbing parts, and similar items, it is frequently necessary to use a wrench or other hand tool in order to obtain suticient turning leverage. This is especially true in the case of plumbing fittings where mineral deposits and corrosion sometimes cause the parts to become stuck together and make them difficult to remove manually. The jaws' on ordinary wrenches tend to dig into the metal, and are, therefore, unsatisfactory for use on items such as chrome or other plated fittings where appearance is a consideration. Moreover, in tightening certain items such as automobile lters, conventional metal wrenches not only mar the appearance, but frequently deform'the item torsuh an f extent that it does not function properly. With the-above in mind, therefore, the general object ofthe present invention is to provide a novel, wrench-like tool for tightening or removing screw-on'type covers, plumbing fittings, or other articlesrhaving similar removal problems, which tool is easy to use and will not damage or scar the piece being turned.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a tool having an elongated rigid handle with a looped, resilient gripping strap adjustably attached thereto, said strap being adapted to frictionally engage and tightly hold a screw-on type cap or like item, and said handle being designed lfor use as a lever to turn the ob: ject so held', there being no metal lto metal contactbetween the wrench and the piece being turned. A further specific object is to'provide a tool as above described wherein the flexible gripping strap may be adjusted to t a wide variety of articles, and wherein said strap may be easily and quickly locked in its adjusted position to insure a tight and secure hold on the cap or other item being turned.

A further specic object is to provide a wrench-like tool of the type described wherein the gripping strap isfcontained almost entirely within the handle when the device is not in use, thereby enhancing the appearance of the tool, permitting its storage in a compact space, and providing a protective housing for the strap.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a tool as described which is relatively simple in design and construction, and which is effective and eicient in operation. 1

With the above and other objects in vieW,*the inven tion'consists of the improved wrench, and all of its parts and` combinations, -as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the principal form of the invention and a modification thereof, in which the same reference numerals designate the-same parts ingall of the views: l 'Figt 1 is a plan view of the principal Qrm, of,thc invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the wrench looking from the bottom of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view with the housing cover section removed to show the tool interior, the strap being in unclamped condition;

Fig. 4 isa fragmentary view like Fig. 3 but showing the looped gripping strap extended and engaged about a jar cap and in locked condition;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the wedge pads employed in the principal form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the tool with the gripping strap engaged about a container cover;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view with one housing side removed, showing a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, taken along line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the elongated, flat metal housing forming the handle portion of the present invention. Said handle is formed of a pair of mating housing sections 13 and 14 joined together by bolts or the like 15, 16, and 17. The forward end of the housing is enlarged and has a relatively large diameter shoulder 11 and a smaller diameter shoulder 12 which are formed on a radius. An opening 20 is provided at the forward end of said housing, between said shoulders 11 and 12, and the housing faces have aligned longitudinal slotted openings 18 therethrough extending the major part of the housing length.

Referring to Fig. 3 illustrating the housing interior,

I said shoulder members '11 and 12 are reinforced by spacer blocks forming internal shoulders 37 and 38, the space between said shoulders being. in the form of a wedge-shaped channel 21 communicating with the front housing opening 20 and with the housing interior, said channel being relatively narrow at its forward end and becoming progressively wider toward the interior.

Normally accommodated within the hollow housing is a exible strap 22 which is preferably formed of rubber belting material or some other material having slight elasticity and superior gripping qualities. One end of said strap is doubled about a transverse slide pin 23 and is secured to the` opposite strap end by a rivet 25, forming thereby .a looped strap of approximately the same length as the housing. Said slide pin 23 is projected transversely through the housing and is slidably carried within the aligned longitudinal slots 18, the ends 24 of said pin being T-shaped as at 24. As will be seen in Figs. 1 and 3, when the pin 23 is in its rearwardmost position, abutting the rear end of the slots 18, the forward end 22' of the gripping loop projects only a short distance beyond the opening 20 in the forward end of the housing. As will be readily appreciated, the slidable mounting of the slide pin 23 within the slots 18 permits the gripping loop to be pulled outwardly or pushed by manipulation of the slide Ts 24 from the position shown in Fig. l to an extreme position where the pin 23 abuts the forward end of the slots 18 and where the external portion of the loop is of maximum size.

Positioned within and near the forward end of the housing and projecting into the wedge-shaped channel 21 between said shoulders 37 and 38, is an elongated, rigid wedge-shaped piece.26. As best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, said wedge is mounted between the stretches of the loopedstrap 22 and has a tapered nose porton 26 projecting forwardly into the wedge-shaped channel 21. Said wedge has a slotted opening 27 therethrough, perpendicular to its longitudinal axis, which slot communicates .with longitudinal slots 19 in the housing sections 13 -and 14. A wedge actuating pin 28 is projected through said communicating wedge and housing slots to slidably secure said wedge in place, said pin 4fitting loosely Y within said slots to permit the wedge to move both longitudinally and transversely, said said pin ends also extending through spaced, in-turned arms 29' on the forward end of an elongated lever 29, the pin having enlarged -heads 28.

In the principal form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, the lever 29 is positioned adjacent oneedge of the housing and has its in-turned arms 29 straddling the housing and pivoted therein as at 30 at a point above the aforementioned wedge actuating pin 28. Outward movement of the lever 29 about the pivot point 30 causes aA rearward and slightly upward movement of the lever arms 29f and inward movement of the wedge-shaped p'ece 26. Conversely, squeezing of the lever causes the cam to move outwardly, the loose fitting of the pin 28 within the slots 19 and 27 allowing for the slight concurrent'downward movement of said lever arms 29.

A pair of T-shaped metal pads 31 (Fig. 5), are positioned on each side of the wedge 26, between said Wedge and the stretches of the strap 22, the purpose of which pads will be hereinafter seen. As shown in Fig.` 1, the ears 31' of sa'd pads project into aligned, transversely arcuate slots 32 in opposite sides of the housing, thus permitting said pads a certain amount of vertical adjustment but maintaining the same in position.

To apply and use the wrench, the outwardly-projecting end 22' of the looped gripping strap is caused to move outwardly from the conditon of Fig. 3 to the condition of Fig. 4 to provide an enlarged loop of the approximate size of the article to be turned. If necessary, the loop can be moved outwardly until the slide pin 23 abuts the forwardmost end of the slots 18.

When the loop 22 has been thus enlarged it may be positioned about the object to be turned, as for example the jar cap 33 in Fig. 6. The slide pin 23 is then pushed rearwardly in its slotted mounting until the strap is tautly engaged about the cap, the enlarged, t'shaped ends 24 providing a convenient means for grasping and moving said pin. Squeezing pressure applied to the lever 29 will force the wedge member 26 forwardly, as hereinbefore described, to a position where its tapered nose portion 26' wedges into the wedge-shaped channel 21, the loop stretches be'ng pressed against the shoulders 37 land 38 (Fig. 4), and thereby clamped against further movement. The pads 31 interposed between the wedge and the loop stretches prevent any direct contact between the rigid wedge and the strap such as might cause movement of the straps to effect a slight change in the desired projected length of the strap loop.

When the wedge has been moved into wedging engagement with the loop stretches, as described, the loop is locked against further movement and is tightly engaged about the object to be turned, the nature of the strap permitting the same to securely grip such surfaces as glass, smooth plastic, or plated fittings. The combination handle-housing member may then bc rocked to either tighten or loosen the cap. To remove the strap after the jar cap or other object has been turned sufficiently, the operator may release the lever 29, thereby releasing the wedge from its locking engagement with the strap. The loop may then be easily lifted from about the cap.

As will be noted in the drawings, the rounded, forward edge of one of the shoulders 11 is of a greater radus than the other shoulder 12. The larger shoulder 11 is designed to serve as the fulcrurn when loosening large caps or the like, while the smaller shoulder 12 is better suited for use on smaller covers and Ifittings.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, it will be noted that the wedgeand pad members 26 and 31 of the principal form of the inventon have been replaced by a single wedge 34. In this construction the member 34 has an enlarged, external, wedgeshaped head projecting outwardly through the housing Opening 20, the 'Guter 1end 'of said taperedhead lbeing I illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 represents but one of possible relatively wide and becoming progressively narrower toward the housing interior. The inner end of said member 34 has ears 34 loosely carrfed within aligned longitudinal slots 35 in the housing walls and in communicating slots 36 in the lever arms 29'. In this form of the invention the lever 29 is pivotally secured to the housing side walls by a rivet 30' positioned below the wedge and lever arm connection, the movement of the wedge member being the reverse of the wedge-device employed in the principal form of the invention. `When the free end of the lever 29 is squeezed, the wedge 34 is pulled inwardly to wedge the stretches of the strap tightly against the periphery of 'circular Vshoulder blocks 11" and 12",

thus locking the loop against further movement and otherwise performing the function of the members 26 and 31 in Fig. 4.

As wll be readily appreciated from the foregoing detailed description, the wrench comprising the present invention will have utility not only in the home, for opening-stubborn jar caps and the like, but may also be used in service stations and garages where it is necessary to mount or remove items such as oil -lters wh`ch are sometimes damaged by the metal jaws of ordinary wrenches. Moreover, the tool may have use in the plumbing industry for certain applications where an ordinary pipe wrench might damage the finish of the item being tightened.

It is to be understood, of course, that the modification variations of thev present invention which might occur to lthose skilled in the art, and all vsuch changes, variations, or modifications are contemplated as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is: n

1. A tool comprising: a rigid, hollow handle having an opening through one end thereof and having spaced, internal shoulders; a looped, gripping strap slidably mounted within said handle and having spaced stretches extending between said spaced shoulders and having a looped portion projecting outwardly through said end opening, the slidable mount'ng of said gripping strap permitting adjustment of the size of the outwardly-projecting portion of said loop; a wedge slidably mounted in the handle between said spaced stretches of said gripping str-ap and having a nose portion between said shoulders; means for sliding the'wedge to move its nose forwardly, and means between said nose and strap stretches responsive to said movement of the wedge for clamping the strap'stretches against said internal shoulders.

2. A tool comprising: a rigid hollow handle having an opening through one end thereof and having spaced internal shoulders, a looped gripping strap slidably mounted Within said handle and having spaced stretches extending between said spaced yshoulders and having a looped portion projecting outwardly through said end opening, the slidable mounting of said gripping strap permitting adjustment ofthe size of the outwardly projecting portion of said loop, and wedge means movably mounted in the handle and positioned to engage between said stretches to lock said gripping strap aga-instrsaid spaced shoulders in a selected position of adjustment.

3. A tool comprising: a rigid, hollow handle having an opening through one end thereof and having spaced, internal shoulders adjacent said opening, the space between -sai-d shoulders forming a wedge-shaped channel communicating with said opening and With the handle interior; a looped gripping strap slidably mounted within said handle and having spaced stretches extending through said Ichannel and terminating in a looped portion projecting outwardly through said end opening, the slidable mounting of said gripping strap permitting adjustment of the size of the outwardly-projecting portion of said loop;

a 'wedge slidably mounted in the handle between said spaced stretches ofsaid gripping strap, said wedge having a'ose'portonadjacent said channel; and lever means pivoted on the handle and connected to said wedge for sliding the nose of the latter into and out of the channel to releasably clamp the strap stretches against said internal shoulders.

4, A tool comprising: a rigid hollow handle having a longitudinal slot and said handle having an opening through one end thereof and having spaced internal shoulders adjacent said opening, the space between said shoulders forming a wedge-shaped channel communicating with said opening and with the handle interior, a looped gripping strap slidably mounted within said handle and having spaced stretches extending through said channel and terminating in a looped portion projecting outwardly through said end opening, a manually operable slide movably mounted in said handle slot and connected to an inner portion of said strap for moving the latter longitudinally to adjust the size of the outwardly projecting portion of the loop, a wedge slidably mounted in the handle between said spaced stretches of the gripping strap, and lever means pivoted on the handle and connected to said wedge for moving a portion of the latter into and out of said channel to releasably clamp the strap stretches against said internal shoulders.

5. A too-l comprising: a rigid hollow handle having `an opening through one end thereof and having spaced internal shoulders, a looped gripping strap slidably mounted within said handle and having spaced stretches extending between said spaced shoulders and having a looped portion projecting outwardly through said end opening, the slidable mounting of said gripping strap permittinfy adjustment of the size of the outwardly projecting portion of said loop, a wedge slidably mounted in the hand-le between said spaced stretches of the gripping strap and having a nose portion projecting between said shoulders, pads mounted for transverse movement between said nose portion and said stretches of the gripping strap, and means for sliding said wedge to cause its nose to press the pads against the strap stretches and -in turn press the latter against said internal shoulders to lock the gripping strap in a selected position of adjustment.

6. A tool comp-rising: a rigid hollow handle having an opening through one end thereof and having an arcuate fulcrum-forming shoulder on each side of said opening at the end of the handle, one of said shoulders being formed on a substantially larger radius than the other, a gripping strap slidably mounted within said handle and having a looped portion projecting through said end opening, the slidable mounting of said gripping strap permitting adjustment of the size of the outwardly projecting portion of said loop, and clamping means in the handle positioned to clamp the gripping strap in a selected position of adjustment, said end shoulders being so positioned with respect to the projecting looped portion that either Shoulder may be used as a fulcrum depending upon the size of the object being gripped.

7. A tool comprising: a rigid hollow handle having an opening through one end thereof and having spaced shoulders adjacent said opening shaped to provide an outward entrance are for the opening, a -looped gripping strap slidably mounted within said handle and having spaced stretches extending between said spaced shoulders and having a looped portion projecting outwardly through said end opening, the slid-able mounting of said gripping strap permitting adjustment of the size of the outwardly projecting portion of said loop, a wedge member having an enlarged head slidably mounted in the handle with said enlarged head in the entrance flare of the opening between said shoulders and between said spaced stretches of the strap, and means for moving said wedge inwardly to clamp the spaced stretches of the strap between said enlarged head of the wedge and the said spaced shoulders.

8. A tool comprising: a rigid hollow handle having an opening through one end thereof and having spaced internal shoulders, a looped gripping strap slidably mounted with-in said handle and having spaced stretches extending between said spaced shoulders and having a looped portion projecting outwardly through said end opening, the sli-dable mounting of said gripping strap permitting adjustment of the size of the outwardly projecting portion of said loop, a wedge slidably mounted in the hand-le between said spaced stretches of the gripping strap land having a wedge-shaped nose portion projecting between said shoulders, pads mounted for transverse movement between said nose portion and said stretches of the gripping strap, and means for sliding said wedge to cause its nose to wedge the pads against the strap stretches and in turn press the latter against said internal shoulders to lock the gripping strap in a selected position of adjustment.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 799,155 Gill et al Sept. 12, 1905 1,214,395 Valentine lan. 30, 1917 1,478,724 Barchus Dec. 25, 1923 1,600,541 Fischer Sept. 21, 1926 2,320,599 Hickman June 1, 1943 

